Thomas and Martha
by theAceAttorneyRises
Summary: Everyone knows the story: a fateful night in crime alley. What about before that night? Who were Thomas and Martha Wayne? An AU story that tackles the life and love of the two most important people in the Batman mythologies. Doesn't adhere to any specific mythology.
1. When Thomas Met Martha

Dawn on North Gotham Avenue. Gotham University. Home of the city's boldest and brightest, where they finely tune their skills to build a better tomorrow. Ideally. The truth is that the students who attend Gotham University tend to slack off; a conglomerate of spoiled rich kids killing time until they inherit their parent's company.

However, there were a few exceptions. Such as Thomas Wayne, a quiet medical student who spent most of his time to himself. He wasn't antisocial by any means, Thomas had friends, he was just quiet. He took his studies very seriously. Opting to spend nights with his nose in a book as opposed to engaging in social activities. This morning Thomas could've slept in. He should've slept in. After all his morning class was canceled. Yet there was a deep anxiety that built in the pit of his stomach, telling him that he needed to get up out of bed lest he waste his valuable time.

So, Thomas woke up at the same time he always did. 7:00 A.M. Bright and early. After washing up, he brewed a cup of coffee whose aroma permeated every space of the two bedroom apartment in which he resided; plucked a ripe, absurdly yellow banana from its bunch and sat at his desk. The cancellation of Thomas's class meant he could take extra time to study for his exams. Taking a sip from his coffee, perfectly black as he found any additives to be unnecessary and ultimately disruptive to his body's functions, he cracked open his textbook. Thomas nibbled on his breakfast as he highlighted key terminology he felt he required knowledge of.

"Even on your mornings off you just can't help yourself, can you?" A voice sounded from the doorway of Thomas's bedroom. Thomas looked over to see his roommate Jack Napier, leaning casually against the wall with one hand holding a cup of coffee and the other in a pocket of his purple and green striped pajama bottoms. Jack was obviously groggy from a late night. His hair was ruffled and messy and Thomas was sure he hadn't even bothered brushing his teeth yet. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"Ah, I had to get up early anyway. Unlike you, I still have class." Jack took a sip of his coffee, his eyes heavy with sleep. "Hope you don't mind if I helped myself to a cup. Kinda needed it."

"By all means. Another long night?"  
"Oh yeah." Jack sat atop Thomas's bed, clearing his throat. "Had a 20 page paper on Volpone due today and I hadn't even started yet." Jack chuckled at the absurdity of his situation.

"Jesus, Jack. You didn't think you might wanna get a head start on that one?" Thomas was always blown away at his roommate's ability to fly by the seat of his pants when it came to his assignments.

"Oh absolutely." Jack placed his cup down on the table beside him. "Just never got around to it! Ha!"

"Just be a bit more careful, yeah?"

"Ehhh, I manage." Jack then noticed the time. "Ooh! Speaking of… I should start getting ready. My class is starting soon."

Jack downed the rest of his coffee and hurried out the room. Jack and Thomas were an odd pair. Whereas Thomas was very orderly, Jack was more of a free spirit. He was prone to wax poetic about society and people's place in it while Thomas just smiled and nodded. Such was the difference between a medical student and an english major. They got along just fine though, rent was never an issue and they never really squabbled despite their differences in lifestyle.

"Hey, Egghead!" Jack cried out from the hall, startling Thomas.

"Yes, Jack?" Thomas responded, with a sigh, desiring to return to his studies.

"You busy tonight?"

Thomas peered back to his textbook, "Uhhh…"

Jack reappeared at Thomas's doorway, toothbrush in hand. "Studying doesn't count. You can afford to take a break, believe me. It won't kill you."

Thomas rubbed his eyes, he admitted he had been feeling burnt out by all his reading lately, often finding it difficult to focus. Jack was right, one night off wouldn't hurt. Besides he did manage to get some studying done early, after all.

"What'd you wanna do?" Thomas responded.

Jack was taken aback at first, surprised by Thomas's response. He had to admit he was used to Thomas turning down his offers. "Well, G.U's performing arts weirdos are having a show tonight and my class is requiring I go see it. I was wondering if you'd be willing to stick it out with me."

"Yeah, sure. What is it? A play?"

"Something like that, I think. All I know is that if I wanna pass I gotta go see it."

"What time?"

"7:00, I think. They have flyers for it all around campus, you can check there." Jack said, sticking the toothbrush back in his mouth as he heading back to the bathroom. "Heh, y'know, I'm glad you're going. God knows you need to get out more." Thomas smiled and rolled his eyes as he returned to his text book.

5:15 PM. Gotham University Student Union. Martha Kane tapped her foot impatiently as she stood in line. Her wide, hazel eyes constantly shifted from her watch to the line in front of her. She brushed a lock of her brunette bob cut behind her ear as she puffed her cheeks in frustration. The line had slowed to a halt, she was starving, and late. Very late. Fifteen minutes late. Which may not sound like much to the average person but for theatre arts majors like Martha Kane, those fifteen minutes affect not only her but the whole cast and crew. She had just moved in from Coast City, making her the new blood in Gotham University's theatre program and this was hardly the first impression she wanted to make. She was lucky to have even been cast but if she became known for her tardiness, she could say goodbye to any future she had in the department.

"And the number five, w-what does that have on it?" A timid sounded from the front of the line.

The frustrated looking cashier took a deep breath and responded, "Ham."

"Yeah."

"Turkey."

"Okay."

"Veggies."

"Uhh, w-what kind?"

"Oh my God." Martha muttered to herself before opting to poke her head out from the back of the line. "Just order the damn sandwich! I think the guy behind me just collapsed from starvation!"

Thomas felt his cheeks flush as the line and cashier snickered at Martha's comment. "Yeah, I'll take the number 5."

"Okay, that'll come out to 70 cents, sir." The cashier smiled.

Thomas reached into his pocket and pulled out the change needed. "Here you are. Sorry about that."

"It's fine." The cashier replied as she handed Thomas the sandwich.

"I don't eat out much." Thomas stepped away with his sandwich, he looked back at the line and said apologetically "Sorry about that."

Martha chuckled to herself at having successfully made the line move faster but felt a tinge of guilt for making the poor man feel awkward. She surmised that he probably didn't get out much. Well, regardless, she needed to hurry up and the line was moving much faster now to the point where she reached the top of the line fairly quickly.

"Number five with a bag of chips." Martha requested with a smile on her face as she pulled the coins out from her purse.

With her sandwich in tow, Martha barged into the dressing rooms. Doing her best to avoid any looks of contempt Martha tries to rush over to her station only to be cut off by a 5' 1", black clad brunette woman in a ponytail and headset who didn't look pleased at all.

"Jen!" Martha smiled sheepishly.

"And where the hell were you?" Jennifer Moors, the stage manager for the show Martha was working on, asked in her distinctly cross british accent.

"Out terrorizing Gotham." Martha replied holding the Gotham Subs bag up. "Chips?"

"Keep your crisps. Just be more careful, will ya? I signed in for you and had to tell the director you were off in the bathroom, so make sure he doesn't see bloody sandwich." Jennifer replied, her expression softening into a look of exasperation. Ever since Martha started attending Gotham U. she hadn't been the best at making friends, people had already established little social circles in the department and it was difficult to break into those circles. Jennifer was really about the only friend she had. Only a couple of years older than Martha, Jennifer was the daughter of two wealthy doctors who moved to Gotham City from Blackpool. Having made the move after having barely exiting secondary school, Jennifer had trouble adjusting to the large difference in culture. As a hard worker, Jen was often seen as a hardass by the more lax theatre community in G.U. This, however, did not intimidate Martha whose odd sense of humor cracked through Jennifer's stern exterior and the two quickly became friends.

"The sub's pretty big, we can split it if you like." Martha told Jennifer as she sat down in her specified make-up station in the women's dressing room.

"Save the other half for tomorrow so you're not hauling ass to stuff your gob before getting here." Jennifer replied as she flipped through her clipboard. "Don't take too long by the way, we need you in make-up quickly. Warm ups start in five."

Martha let out an urgent grunt as she quickly unwrapped her sandwich and scarfed it down, much to the disgust of her fellow actresses. Jennifer rolled her eyes but couldn't help from smiling at her friend's weirdness.

"Warm ups in five!" She reminded the cast.

Jennifer went to convey the message to the men in the cast as well but stopped in her tracks when the heard the sound of a large **'POP'** , the sound of several salty snacks scattering on the floor, and a woman cry out.

" **God damn it, Martha!** "

Jennifer sighed and went on with her business.

7:00 PM. The Theodore J. Cobblepot Theatre.

"Judgement of the Owls", Thomas read from the playbill as he sat among his fellow students in the auditorium alongside Jack. "It's a devised piece. Isn't that neat?" Thomas closed the playbill and turned his attention to his room mate who fumbled with a bag of chips.

"Uh huh." Jack remarked as he continued to struggle with his bag, making sure to duck out of sight whenever an usher passed by. "Y'know, Tom. The only reason they tell ya not to bring food in here is because the cheapskates that run the place don't wanna pay anyone to clean up any spillage."

"That and the noise probably distracts the actors." Thomas replied.

"Ah, they're disciplined enough. If they can power through a baby's cry they can power through the crunch of a chip." The bag finally popped open, much to the annoyance of nearby audience members. Jack didn't care though as he triumphantly dug in as the lights dimmed. "Ooh! It's starting."

Backstage, Martha stood with the other actors quiety, each one going over key moments of the story in their head. The play was unique in the sense that it was to be told not through words, but instead through movement and noises largely improvised by the actors. Each performer had their own part to play: the greedy, self serving merchant; the highly intelligent, yet unbearably obtuse doctor; the wealthy, self absorbed master; and finally, Martha's role, the witty, nimble servant. Each actor's face was made up so their faces resembled masks. Coated in white with a variety of lines and smears gave each actor characteristics to fit their character. For example, Martha's makeup highlighted her big, bold eyes with a light yellow with a black outline to prevent the yellow from blending in too much with the white; her lips, painted red, all to allow a wide range of expressions.

The story was simple. A travelling merchant wanders into the newly established Gotham colony; he scams and tricks those in power for his own gain. By the end of the play, the town has caught on to the merchant's tricks and has him executed for his deceit as he's torn apart by a swarm of owls. The audience's reaction to the show was a mix of bafflement, restrained laughter, and confusion.

As the show closed out to a muted applause, the audience cleared out of the auditorium without much fanfare. A majority of the audience, Thomas and Jack included, were left dumbfounded by the show. It was nonsensical, noisy, and just bizarre. The cast stood outside the auditorium awkwardly forming a line to greet the audience and thank them for seeing the show. Martha stood among her castmates as the most enthusiastic member of the ensemble. While the crowd was lukewarm toward the other characters who were burdened with telling the actual story, Martha served as the comic relief and actually garnered some laughs from the audience. As the audience and cast mingled, Martha noticed Thomas standing aside waiting as Jack spoke with any friends he had in the cast.

Her eyes squinted as she rattled around in her head where she recognized him from. A good looking fellow, square jawed, neatly combed black hair, sharp suit; if she met him before she would definitely remember. A class maybe? Did she go to highschool with him? Then it hit her. He was they guy she yelled at in the sandwich line. At this realization, Martha recoiled slightly as her face scrunched up in a combination of embarrassment and guilt. She was stressed and hungry, not the best combination for human interaction.

"Hey," Martha said as she stepped towards Thomas with a nervous smile on her face.

There was a brief moment of silence until Thomas looked around and realized Martha was speaking to him. "Uh, hi. Good job, tonight. Good show."

"Ah, c'mon, you don't gotta lie."

Thomas stifled a small laugh, "Well, it's not a complete lie. Only half of it."

"Glad you enjoyed the show then!"

Thomas laughed again, a bit louder this time, "That's not- That… You were good. Very funny."

"Thanks."

The two smiled at each other a bit awkwardly for a second. Neither one said anything they just stared.

"Do I know you?" Thomas said, finally breaking the silence.

"Oh! No, uh, sorry! Spaced out there. Long night. Tired. Mind _pew_." Martha said as she mimed a small explosion with her hand. "Uh, I just- Ummm, I wanted…"

"You wanted?"

"To apologize!" Martha finally spat out. Her mind was racing and her stomach was in knots, she wrestled with whether or not she wanted to admit to this admittedly very good looking man that she was the one who had publicly humiliated him earlier. Or maybe she was making a big deal out of nothing. Regardless, she was tongue tied.

"Apologize? For the show?"

"No no! For earlier."

"Earlier...?" Thomas was growing more confused by the second. Martha felt his strong desire to escape the situation he was currently trapped in.

"At the sandwich line. I was a bit grouchy and you were taking a while to order so I, uh, said something… yeeep." Martha gave the 'P' an extra pop as she stared past Thomas, he couldn't see it beneath her makeup but she was blushing intensely, waiting for him to respond.

"Oh. That was you?" Thomas replied, his face hardening. Martha felt her heart drop to her stomach. She immediately regretted telling him. "Well then, I supposed you'll be hearing from my family's lawyers." Thomas let out a small chuckle as he flipped through the playbill to find the woman's name. "I take my sandwiches very seriously, Miss… Kane."

Martha hid her face as she smiled, relieved he apparently didn't hold any grudges. She quickly hardened her expression as well as she looked up at Thomas, "I'll have you know, taking your sweet time to order food is a felony and thereby your case holds no legal grounds, Mr… ?"

"Wayne." Thomas extended his hand out. "Thomas, Wayne."

"Mr. Wayne." Martha repeated, almost regally as she took his hand. "My name is Martha Kane and I am certain we can put all this behind us."

"I as well, Miss Kane. We can let past grievances remain past grievances."

"Water under the bridge as it were." Martha said as she gently nudged Thomas with her elbow.

"Martha!" A distinct lancashire accent rang out. Martha turned to see the cast gone and Jen standing behind the door that led to the backstage. "Hurry up and get out of costume already so I can go home sometime today!"

"Oh! Sorry!" Martha gave Thomas a faux bow. "Thomas."

"Martha." Thomas replied, returning the gesture as he watched Martha disappear backstage. He smiled to himself for a while before turning around and seeing Jack with a sly smirk on his face. "What?"


	2. Later That Night

After taking off her make up and hanging her costume back up on the designated rack, Martha was finally able to sign out after a long night of performing. Despite the lackluster quality of the final product she had to admit there was a certain thrill in finally making her stage debut at Gotham University. After a few drinks with the cast and crew, Martha took a cab to her apartment so she could call it a night.

On her way home, Martha didn't say much. She just started out the window at her new home. Gotham was so very different from Coast City. Whereas Coast City was bright and beautiful, very much a "fun in the sun" type of city. Gotham just looked like an open wound left to fester in disease and filth. It was harsh but true. Coast City was vivid with blues and greens painting the cityscape, Gotham was a dingy brown muddled in a smokey grey. Less "fun in the sun" and more "stabbed in a back alley".

Martha paid the taxi driver and thanked him for his work. She entered the apartment complex and took the elevator to her residence on the fifth floor. After jimmying with the lock to her door for what felt like forever, the door to Martha's apartment finally opened. She slammed the door shut and collapsed on her sofa, exhausted from the day she just had. Martha shut her eyes and listened to the ticking of the clock, the rhythm of it relaxed her. Nothing about the ticking of a clock was random, it wasn't spontaneous, it was set. It was consistent.

 _Wayne._ She found her mind drifting to Thomas. Thomas Wayne. Where had she heard that name before? It kept ringing in her head, something about it was familiar but she couldn't place why. Regardless, as brief as their conversation was, she enjoyed it. Part of her regretted not getting the man's telephone number. Once you got past his initial awkwardness, he proved to be quite the charmer. His looks didn't hurt either; fit, square jawed, and one hell of a sharp dresser, Martha would be shocked if this man wasn't already claimed. Still, one could hope.

Martha's rumblings were interrupted a shrill scream in the night, this jolted her eyes open. Rising to her feet, Martha put on her coat as she stepped out to the patio in a rush. Once outside, Martha saw another individual sitting on a patio adjacent to her's. A woman in her forties sat outside looking towards the street, drinking beer and smoking a cigarette, all with the same sense of urgency as someone watching paint dry. Martha looked towards the street as well and witnessed another woman, her age, lying in the ground in a fetal position, trembling as two police officers kept kicking her as she begged them to stop. Martha looked back over to her neighbor who seemed more than content to just watch while muttering something under her breath.

Rushing back inside, Martha grabbed hold of her phone and dialed 911 however the line was busy. Slamming the phone back down in frustration, Martha dashed out the door. Running down the stairs and out of the complex, Martha made a mad dash towards the sidewalk. The police officers were gone and the woman was lying on the ground. Martha felt her heart skip a beat, she feared the worst had happened until she noticed the woman breathing. Breathing a sigh of relief, Martha knelt beside her, gently placing a hand on the beaten woman. At Martha's touch, the woman jumped and began sobbing as she curled up even more.

"Hey, hey," Martha said gently, as motherly as she could to give the poor woman some sense of comfort. "There's a payphone nearby, I'm gonna call you an ambulance. Alright?"

The woman nodded her head.

"Just give me a second, I won't take long."

Martha ran over to the payphone and again dialed 911. This time the call went through as Martha immediately requested an ambulance. Martha hung up the phone and jumped in fright when an owl suddenly flew past her and perched itself on the branch of a nearby tree.

"Fucking owls," Martha muttered to herself before returning to the woman's side.

The woman was sitting up now on the edge of the sidewalk, her face swollen and bloodied. Her hair was pitch black and her skin a light brown. Martha sat next to the woman.

"The ambulance should be here any minute." Martha said. "I hope you don't mind me staying with you until then."

No reply.

Martha nodded her head in understanding and the two simply sat in silence as they waited for the ambulance to arrive.


End file.
